“I didn’t name you Ronja so that you could grow up in Tøyen,” Ronja’s dad tells her.
But Tøyen is where they live – Ronja, her dad, and big sister Melissa. Christmas is coming. Dad has lost yet another job, which is why Melissa has no choice but to go out and heave Christmas trees around, Ronja has to sell seasonal garlands and sheafs, her father needs to go out to the Stargate pub, and December is all about wet mittens, commissions, and beer. But also about three wise men, a star, and a forest.
Brightly Shining is a Christmas story for our time: magical realism in a Christmas tree outlet in Tøyen.
Ingvild H. Rishøi
Ekko von Schwichow
Ingvild H. Rishøi (born 1978) made her literary debut in 2007 with DO NOT ERASE, a short story collection which was selected Book of the Month in the BNB Book Club and received brilliant reviews.
Her second collection of short stories, THE STORY OF MRS. BERG, was shortlisted for the Brage Prize. She has also written two acclaimed picture books for children.
For her latest book, WINTER STORIES, Rishøi has received praise from both the people and the press. Though the number of short stories in this collection are fewer than her preveious ones, as this contains only a number of three, the critics agree that she has developed her unique touch for the lives of vulnerable people even further. The book won the Critics' Prize for best adult fiction as well as the Brage Prize for best work of short fiction. It was also nominated in the Brage adult fiction category. It was the first time ever a book had been nominated in two categories.
